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[QUOTE=As he approached the central area above the dungeon, he noticed strange things. The land itself had sunk. He used to see a large shallow dome above The Trembling Tunnels, but it was gone. Did that mean the dungeon, and its legendary treasure, was truly gone? After dozens of attempts to find it, the heavens merely laughed at him.

No, it had to still be there. It was a treasure greater than any other. It had to exist. It was known as the Holy Nail. It showed up from time to time in history. Although the stories varied, it was obvious that whoever managed to find the Holy Nail was destined for greatness. He had already proved himself to be the best in the land, yet he wanted something greater. He felt like his growing legend was incomplete. Gaining this treasure of treasures might be just the thing he needed.[/QUOTE]

I've got to the hundreth Pokemon! And it's Crobat! Awesome. Makes me want to go hunt down a shiny Zubat/Golbat. Pink Crobat is awesome. And before anyone asks, I wrote the dialogue exactly as I heard these three in my head.

I was looking at holidays in February that I might want to do something for. Presidents Day is there; Probopass came to mind, but that seems ridiculous. There's also Ash Wednesday. That would be neat, but since I don't belong to a liturgical church, I'm not sure what would be appropriate. Any suggestions?

ZUBAT
Sapphire entry: Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down.

GOLBAT
Ruby entry: Golbat loves to drink the blood of living things. It is particularly active in the pitch black of night. This Pokemon flits around in the night skies, seeking fresh blood.

CROBAT
Pearl entry: A Pokémon that gained vastly enhanced flying performance by having its legs turn into wings.

As the sun began to cross the horizon, Zubat woke up. He didn’t open his eyes, though. He never opened his eyes. His ears and sonar voice told him everything that he needed to know. What he found out for the moment was that he was still in the shadows of an old rundown barn. A difference in warmth told him that the sun was coming close to his location, something he didn’t like. But an older member of his kind, a Golbat, was hanging next to him, blocking the light from reaching his more sensitive skin.

Zubat stretched his wings out to help wake himself fully. “<Hey, thanks man.>”

“<No problem, man. You think you can find your flock?>”

“<Pretty sure. Once I find some landmark, I should be able to find the cave, at least.>”

Golbat, who did have full use of his eyes and his sonar, looked around the countryside. Farmland was all around them, fields full of wheat, soybeans, and corn. The barn they had spent the day in was abandoned and falling apart, but other buildings around were in better shape. From memory, he could name off twenty or so small caves that the young one could have come from. But he needed something to help Zubat become un-lost.

He rubbed an itchy spot on his nose with his wing tip, then pointed out to the northeast. “<There’s a group of three grain silos out that way a couple of miles. That any help?>”

Zubat checked to hear which direction Golbat was pointing in, then nodded. “<Three grain silos? Yeah, I think I know which ones you mean. We hunt around there sometimes. I can find my way back from there.>”

“<Good. Well, you’ve got a little while before the sun fades. I’ll hang out so nothing tries to snag you while you’re alone.>”

“<Right, they would once I was by myself. I got lucky last night in finding you before dawn.>”

“<S’alright, man. No biggie.>”

Then, quite to their surprise, another one of their kind came flying over the roof. This one slowed abruptly, sending it into a couple of aerial somersaults to turn around and face them while hovering upside down. “<S’up, dudes? Mind if I hang out and rest my wings for a bit?>”

“<Nah, we’re waiting on the sun to drop anyhow.>”

Zubat was quite awed. “<Hey, you’re an actual Crobat, man!>”

Crobat flipped around and clamped his lower wings onto the underside of the barn structure. “<Sure am, little dude. I come from far off, by the western sea.>”

“<Wow, I never thought I’d actually meet one of you. Almost nobody can evolve that far.>”

“<So how do you get that far, man? Is it like some super hard quest of the gods?>”

He laughed. “<No, thankfully not that. You got dreams to fly this far, little dude?>”

Zubat flipped his wings excitedly, almost falling off. “<Well yeah! I want to be that awesome.>”

Golbat snickered at the near-accident. Then he added, “<I’ve wondered that myself. I thought about it real hard, but can’t seem to figure it out. It’s not about getting real powerful like the other Pokemon ‘round these parts, cause some of my kin can fight off a Tauros, but can’t evolve.>”

Crobat nodded sagely. “<Well, you’re right, we ain’t like that. It’s a personal journey, dude, in order to get to this point. The inward instead of the outward, if you get my drift. You’ve got to take a good hard look at yourself and figure out who you really are and what truly makes you happy. It is hard; the answers will escape you at first, leaving you with more questions and uncertainty. But then there is that magic moment where you realize the simple truth and that’s when you can evolve into a bat like me.>”

Golbat frowned. “<Well if it is a simple truth, how come more of us don’t evolve? And what is that truth?>”

“<Sorry, can’t tell you.>”

“<Is it one of the secrets of the universe?>” Zubat asked, timid now.

Crobat laughed warmly and tapped the young one. “<Dude, you’ve got some serious dreaming going on in your head! I ain’t sure about that. The truth seems to be slightly different for each one that reaches this point. At least, mine wasn’t quite like the other Crobat I met a year back. But keep on dreaming; it’s a good sign that you might fly up to my level someday.>”

“<Oh, okay. So what’re you doing around here, man? You said you were from the sea.>”

“<Well I heard it said that the Shellos of the west coast have different tasting blood than the Shellos of the east coast. Now Shellos aren’t exactly the greatest meal in the world, yeah, but I’ve been wondering if that’s true. I’ve lived on the west coast forever, it seems, so I’m flying out to the east coast to find that truth.>”

“<I’ve heard about that too,>” Golbat said. “<But I’m not sure it’s worth flying a great distance just to sample the blood of a Shellos.>”

“<Come on, dude, where’s your sense of adventure? I’m sure there’ll be other Pokemon I’ve never tasted before too, so I think it’s worth the trip.>”

Golbat shook his head. “<Nah, there’s plenty of farm Pokemon around here, so I know there’ll always be a meal. And if I get lucky, I can take the blood of a human. Now that’s some good stuff.>”

“<Oh, I’ll agree with you on that. But humans are a dangerous prey to mess with. They got tools that’ll mess you up far more than any Pokemon could. And the Pokemon will usually fight you back alone. The humans will bring up other Pokemon and stomp you flat.>”

“<That’s fine, you’re just a little dude right now. But if you ever get the urge to try later on, make sure to confuse ‘em real good. Or better yet, get them asleep.>”

“<But make sure they’re not confused in the first place,>” Golbat advised. “<I did that once and her blood tasted funny. And then I was all funny in the head all evening, not flying straight and laughing at every stupid little thing. Then in the morning, ugh, it makes me queasy just thinking about that morning after.>”

Crobat snickered. “<That’s called being drunk, dude. The human probably had too many beers that evening. You can tell cause they smell like it.>”

“<Whoa, okay, I’ll keep that in mind.>” Zubat stretched his wings out again; he sensed that the warm areas were cooling down, a sign that the sun was completely down. “<Well we’ve got to find my flock now. Goodbye, Crobat.>”

Crobat stretched out one of his main wings. “<Bye, little Zubat dude.>”

Note: Microbug is my term for insects that are not Pokemon: fleas, mosquitos, flies, beetles, normal 'bugs' for us. I imagine that you couldn't catch them in Pokeballs (and wouldn't want to, anyhow).

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 2nd February 2009 at 4:52 PM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

lol, I really like this one. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, just as you said. It had that feel too it (probably since you reminded me of it in your reply ^^ ).

Wonder what that Truth is... (only I would get that pun.. and my friends)

This was good. I liked the way the bats had a surfer feel to them. Man, and dude lol!

I really liked it.

EDIT: Nothing I could see wrong with it. Described well and the characterization was good. (I noticed I haven't been giving feedback on your writing. I will post my Guest Entry after a day or so. When and if others reply to your story)

Here is my second guest entry. Once again, thank you Ysavvryl for allowing me to post a Podedex One-Shot and helping fix it up. I hope everyone enjoys it.

><> Truth

PonytaPearl Entry: Ponyta’s legs grow strong while it chases after its parent. It runs in fields and mountains all day.

SwellowRuby Entry: Swellow Flies high above our heads, making graceful arcs in the sky. This Pok&#233;mon dives at a steep angle as soon as it spots its prey. The hapless prey is tightly grasped by Swellow's clawed feet, preventing escape.

BarboachSapphire Entry: Barboach's body is covered with a slimy film. If a foe grabs it, this Pok&#233;mon just slips out of the enemy's grip. This Pok&#233;mon grows weak if the slimy coating dries up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was setting. Oranges, pinks and purples spread across and rose in the sky. A pasture of Ponyta lay in the distance. They galloped and frolicked about all day long, giving chase to their parents or racing one another. Through this perpetual motion, the Ponyta had muscular legs.

A lake was on the edge of the pasture. The water was a clear blue, and all around it furry plants and grass swayed with the wind. Inside the lake was a limited amount of life that hid under the rocks I the lake. There were only a few kinds of fish, a dozen Magikarp, several Goldeen and a few Barboach.

High above a creature lurked. It stared down into the lake with its keen eyesight, scanning the water; waiting. Its blue top and white bottom wings held it easily in the sky. It had two tail feathers, both lunging sharply upward.

A Ponyta in the distance had noticed the bird. She stopped chasing her all too quick parents and instead observed the bird. She was eyeing it curiously, wondering what it was up to, way out here. Absent mindedly, she trotted towards the bird, never letting her eyes of it.

I wonder what that bird is up to, flying above the lake.

She came closer to the shoreline of the lake and recognized the bird immediately. It was a Swellow, a strong and stubborn bird. It would fly up their all day, waiting for its decided meal to poke its face out of the water. The Swellow’s powerful blue wings would allow it to soar all day. The bird looked fierce, with a neck and face of red, almost like war paint. One blue line streaked through the red, creating a collar.

Fierce and handsome were these creatures. Soaring elegantly, with minimum effort. Two tail feathers, sticking straight up always meant a sign of good health. This swellow was healthy, and no doubt looking for food; diligently waiting for the right moment to use its red claws to dig into the skin of some unlucky fish.

Ponyta, however, knew not the intent of the bird. Instead, she gazed upon its majesty; mystified by its elegance and power.

“Hey Fitz. What brings you over to the lake?” asked a voice. Startled, Ponyta leapt backwards and frantically looked about her. She noticed the fish, sticking its white head and blue mouth out of the water. Two blue whiskers protruded from the top of its mouth. It was her good friend Muds.

“Oh my gosh! Don’t startle me like that next time. I almost died from fright.” She spoke, with a breathy voice, relieved that it was her friend that spoke to her.

The barboach giggled, his squeaky voice filling Fitz’s ears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were so lost in thought or something like that.”

“Well, that’s okay.” She looked up and didn’t see the bird above her anymore. “Hey, Muds, did you see a swellow in the sky just now?”

“A...a… swellow?” Muds shivered with fear. “I didn’t see one. But I think I should be going now. If there is one… I don’t want to be around to shake its claw.” With that, Muds dived into the water and swam towards the middle of the lake.

“Aww… cmon, don’t be a scaredy skitty. It was probably just looking around. I don’t see it anymore. It must have gone off. Come back here!”

She huffed as her friend ignored her. The flames on her back light bigger with anger. “Fine then! I’ll just talk to you later!” With that she stormed off.

“The nerve of that guy. Scaring me then running off without so much as a goodbye. Just because a little bird was around he quivers his fins.” She had walked a couple of minutes away from the lake before she looked up into the sky again. She noticed the Swellow flying closer to the ground, going towards the lake at an angle. Its powerful wings held close into its body, gaining speed, descending towards the lake at an incredible rate.

“Now, I wonder what this guy is up to.”

Before she realized it, the Swellow had passed her and shoved its claws into the lake, pulling out a skinny white fish, with a blue mouth and protruding whiskers.

“Help me! It got me!” the little fish squeaked, even higher than it normally did. It was Muds.

Without hesitation, Fitz galloped towards the lake as the bird started flying back in her direction. “Muds! Wriggle free. Aren’t you suppose to be slimy?!”

With her quick thinking, Muds realized she was right, and wriggled harder than before. Even as tight as Swellow’s grip was, Muds managed to slide free. He started plummeting to the earth. The Swellow was not about to let his game get free though. Quickly and elegantly spinning around, the bird dove after its prey.

Fitz was close now, and saw swellow dive back down for Muds. Muds was getting closer to the ground, too fast for her comfort. A thought flashed through her mind. He might not survive the fall.

Fitz, worrying for her friends safety, decided that all she could do was save him from either the powerful creature, or help him survive the fall. So she chose. I need to cover his back. He should be able to survive the fall if he…

“Muds! Save yourself. Squirt as much water you can towards the ground!”

Muds opened its small mouth and blasted water out, hitting the ground. The ground became muddy, and the blast was slowing him down.

Fitz puffed her chest up, rearing her head up. The flames on her body blazed faster, brightening. Without knowing what she was about to do, she blasted a long streaming flame into the sky. She couldn’t control it, but she managed to block the swellow from grabbing his prey again.

Muds had landed softly on the ground, spent after using all the water it could. He was breathing heavily. He could survive on land, but it was difficult to move easily on it.

Fitz was shocked at what she had done, but quickly recovered as the swellow descended upon Muds. After running for many days on the field, Fitz gathered all the strength she had and blitzed towards the bird whose speed was demonic.

Fitz, could not match the speed, but she had been closer from the start, and stood above the fish before the swellow could reach out with its claws.

She pulled her head upwards and roared.

“GO AWAY!”

Her chest puffed up again, and the flames on her body blazed quickly once again. A stream of fire shot out of her mouth for the second time today, creating a sucking sound from the intense heat. The fire scored a direct hit on the swellow’s chest and neck. He got rocketed upwards, flung across the sky and into the lake.

“Muds! Muds… are you all right?” the Ponyta asked sympathetically, forgetting her previous anger towards the fish.

Groaning, and breathing raspy, he managed to squeaky “yea.”

Fitz stood by the fish, letting him rest before she would ask him if he wanted her to take him back to the lake. She then remembered the bird and glanced where it fell. She noticed the bird was not getting up and flying away.

I hope he can’t fly anymore. Deserves him right, he won’t bother us anymore. She couldn’t stop thinking about the bird as she stared now at a figure floating on the lakes surface. Her amber eyes betrayed her, showing the worry she felt now. A lump built up in her throat. Did I kill him?

“Fitz, what’s wrong? Is something the matter? Are you hurt?” the fish coughed, regaining strength as he breathed more evenly.

“That Swellow… is not getting up from the lake…”

Muds raised his head, looking towards the lake. At first he felt glad. But as he stared at the unmoving figure, his eyes began to widen. Worry and fear were painting themselves on his face. His strength rejuvenated itself faster now.

“Bring me over into the lake. Maybe I can help him. Hurry before he sinks.”

Muds gave a commanding voice, almost deeper than his voice has ever been. Fitz didn’t argue, and opened her mouth. He hopped in, and her hate for the taste of fish came back. Her kind never ate meat, but she accidentally tried to eat a magikarp before; it didn’t work out too well. What was worse was Muds slimy texture, but Fitz ran to the lake anyways, trying to push the taste out of her mind.

Once she reached the lake, she lowered her muzzle and Muds slid into the water. He sped off in the direction of the sinking swellow, whose head managed to stay above the water for a few more seconds.

When he had reached the swellow, he pushed up against the bird with all his strength towards the shore, where a now a worried Ponyta waited.

As gentle and close as he could, Muds put the swellow up onto the shore. Fitz sat there, dazed, wondering what to do. The only sign of life the bird showed was a steady breathing. He hadn’t drowned; only knocked unconscious. Muds lifted the swellow above the water just before he was about to breathe in water.

He needs to dry off, Fitz thought to herself. She nudged the bird up the shore with her muzzle, away from the water. She then laid down around the bird, curling her body close to his. She relaxed and made her flames shrink enough so she would not burn the swellow.

She sat there for ten… twenty…….. thirty minutes before the bird started to move. He first coughed a little, then pulled his head up before swinging it back down. He was dizzy. He looked around after his head stopped spinning. What he saw surprised him.

A ponyta was huddled around him, gazing intently at him. A barboach lay on the shoreline, not too far from where he was, staring with just as much intensity as the ponyta.

“Wha… What… happened?” Swellow managed to say, breathing deeply with each word. He never felt so out of breathe.

The ponyta answered him. “You tried to eat my friend! That’s what happened. Then I gave you a lashing. You plummeted, and fell in the water. Your earlier ‘catch’ saved you just in the nick of time, before you started swallowing water.” She was suddenly angry at him. She huffed and looked away. The flames on her body started to grow.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…. Please forgive me.” He was apologizing. Food was food to him. He never thought much about the food he ate.

“You’re lucky Muds over there saved you. I would have been long gone before you woke up if he didn’t look so worried about you,” she snobbishly looked away, “Thank him for saving you too. And apologize to him. You didn’t do anything but worry me about my friend. Whom you were going to devour.” Fitz stood up, easing herself up around him, and walked away.

“Sorry about her. She angers quickly, but she is really a kind person. My name is Muddling, but everyone calls me Muds.” The Barboach spoke to the Swellow. His fear of the bird had gone.

“My name is Starkly," the bird puffed up proudly, only to cough in pain. "Sorry about earlier…. Food is food…. You know?”

“That’s okay. I understand. Except, I would have hated to be eaten….” Muds laughed a little, “I guess you will be going when you regain your strength.”

Starkly nodded. He managed to stand up, wobbling a little from side to side. He had gained some strength.

“I don’t think I can fly. That fire…. whatever it was…. was too strong. It might take me a few hours to recover.”

Muds nodded sympathetically, “Makes sense. That was a strong blast. She would have roasted me.”

The two talked a while longer, before dark had fully descended. Fitz was sleeping near her parents. Muds dove deep, hiding under the lake floor. Starkly remained in the grassy field near the lake most of the night. Regaining strength as he slept.

He awoke in the middle of the night. The stars twinkled in the sky. A cool breeze came from the East, making the grass sway. Kricketune chirped their melodies, singing to the full moon. Starkly felt a wondrous peace that he never once came across. The way the world was completely at ease; molding everything together into beauty. A beauty he did not think he encountered before… or had not noticed. His experience with death now must have brought about this new awareness. He looked up into the sky, and thought about life. He thought about death.

How trivial, is it, for one such as myself to merely survive? But what is there besides only surviving?

He tried to shake off his ‘ridiculous’ notion, but then stopped, and mumbled to himself, “Maybe there is more to life….”

The bird flapped his wings, testing his strength. He could make it some distance before he needed to rest again. He sat up, preparing to leave. He looked at it all once more. A star flashed across the sky.

He jumped up and rose with the winds.

Fitz heard something, a whistle of wind. She looked up and saw the bird, flying elegantly in the sky, rocking with the wind. It flew high going at the pace of the clouds, shimmering next to the stars.

How she wished she could fly. She closed her eyes, and lulled back to sleep, listening to the Kricketunes’ song.

Those three worked so nicely together. I'm always pleasently surprised when that happens with a group of apparently random Pokemon.

I'm tempted to play around with this story and make it much longer. It has some interesting questions and issues that I've not seen done in Pokemon fanfic. Course, it might have been done and I've just plain not seen it.

GENGAR
Ruby/Sapphire entry: Sometimes, on a dark night, your shadow thrown by a streetlight will suddenly and startlingly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.

GALLADE
Diamond/Pearl entry: A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extending swords on its elbows.

It was late. The flow of people along the city sidewalks was slowing. Most were in a hurry, to get home, to get to a party, to get to an appointment, to get somewhere else. A woman trying to hold onto a full basket and dial her cell phone was unwittingly asking for an accident. The accident obliged, catching her heels in a crack and causing her to stumble forward.

Someone caught her. At first, she thought it was some skinny teenager with odd tastes in clothing. Fresh white and spring green wasn’t a fashion trend that she was aware of. But then it was apparent that his body was too slim and his head was not quite human-like. It was a Pokemon.

Still, it was polite enough to bend over and pick up a stray package that had fallen out of her basket. When he handed the underwear box to her, she was briefly glad that it was Pokemon helping her. Blushing, she slipped it back into the basket. “Thanks,” she mumbled, then went on her way.

The Gallade nodded. “<You’re welcome,>” he replied, then went on his way.

He walked down the street on his errand. True, he could have teleported and made this menial task much quicker. But he wanted to soak in this moment alone, reflective... quiet.

The night streets weren’t exactly quiet. There were still cars and motorcycles rumbling along the roads. The lights overhead hummed and attracting buzzing bugs. Apartments he passed by had blaring radios, loud conversations, noisy machines. It was different though, and in that difference he could be reflective.

Arriving at the parking lot of the convenience store, he paused and wondered why he was doing this. He had been loyal and obedient to his Trainer for years. He had defeated many difficult opponents and achieved many lofty goals. All that, and what did he get out of it? Moving into a frantic city where the best thing to happen all day was running a simple errand? It didn’t seem fair. He was still young, he should be able to...

Although he was standing, his shadow jumped out in front of him and made a rude gesture. He tensed for a moment, but soon realized what was going on. He stepped forward with his right foot and extended both of his arm blades. “<Looking for trouble, shadow?>”

It appeared to laugh, bringing out identical blades and waving them about like a bad kung-fu actor. In contrast, the Gallade made several quick jabs with his right blade, then followed up with a graceful slash of his left. The shadow brought both of its arms over its head, then sliced them down in a motion of brute force. He responded by retracting his left blade, then shooting Psybeam at the ground.

The false shadow popped right out of the ground, transforming into a hulking dark purple beast. It had ghostly claws on bulky arms, nothing suitable for mimicking a graceful sword artist. Still, he had a broad grin. “<Hey Ray. It’s been a while.>”

He sighed as he retracted his right blade too. “<Good evening, George. And yet you still look like a fool when playing at my shadow.>”

The Gengar held his claws up and shook his head. “<I ain’t got no interest in following your smarmy style. How’s the jerk doing?>”

“<You’re just angry that he traded you off.>” Ray paused a moment, considering that it was a fair reason for his former teammate to dislike their Trainer. “<He’s all right. Does good at his job, has lots of friends, that kind of thing.>”

“<Boring. I’m glad to be on my own.>”

“<So what exactly are you doing? Pestering me for old time’s sake?>”

“<Could be. Nah. I was looking for you, actually.>”

Skeptical of this, he put his hands on his hips. “<For me?>”

George nodded, but the glint to his eyes suggested something was up. “<Yeah, for you. What are you doing on this lovely night?>”

“<That’s none of your business.>”

In his usual spooky manner, he was soon standing next to Ray instead of in front of him. “<Oo, are we being evasive tonight? You’re not evasive unless it’s something you really dislike.>”

“<It’s nothing, really, just picking up some things from the store.>”

“<Like what things?>” Enjoying his discomfort greatly, George grinned to show his sharp teeth. “<I know you won’t lie to someone you know.>”

“<You know me way too well,>” he grumbled.

“<So what is it that’s got us all tensed up tonight?>”

“<It’s just a stupid errand, but it’s the only excuse I’ve had to leave the house all day. I’m picking up some baby formula and diapers.>”

To Ray’s surprise, George seemed almost pleasantly surprised. “<Is that so? The jerk and his woman had a baby?>”

“<Twins, actually,>” he replied, relaxing some at how the news was taken. “<Two boys. It’s been quite exciting the past year.>”

He chuckled. “<Nice, twins. Sounds a bit too exciting, if you ask me. You all getting settled into the domestic life, then?>”

“<It’s only as long as the twins are little. When they’re older, we’ll go back to traveling and camping like before.>”

“<Yeah right. Sounds like you’re stuck being a homebody.>”

“<Just temporarily,>” Ray argued, getting tense again. “<Our, sorry, my Trainer is all for heading back out to the wilds when the kids can handle it. He likes to tell all the great stories, like how we explored those old mines and found that Dawn Stone just in the nick of time to keep me from evolving into a Gardevoir. And even ones with you, like how you intimidated all the Ghastlies into leaving us alone in the graveyard that night...>”

George waved that off. “<Ah, then he’s turning into a storyteller like all the others. I’ve talked to a bunch of other guys, and they say that once the humans start having kids, then it’s all over for you. Your best days are behind you.>”

“<No they’re not,>” he replied, although there had been many times that he had thought that exact thing today.

The Gengar chuckled, then pulled out a large coin and tossed it over. “<You keep telling yourself that. Or, I’ve got an offer for you.>”

He caught the coin and looked at it. Made of copper, it was marked with an Octillery on one side, and a name on the other. “<A bar token?>”

“<I’m heading out on a quest of sorts, with some guys. It’ll be quite an adventure, but I doubt any human would come along with us. We were talking about what and who we might need and I knew immediately that you would be an immense help. That is, if you’d come along.>”

“<I’m a loyal Pokemon,>” Ray said sternly.

George nodded. “<And so am I, to those who deserve it. That is why I came looking for you. Are you really going to stay loyal to someone who’s going to restrain you to home for the rest of your life? And what difference is there between how he treated you and how he treated me?>”

“<He’s not about to trade me.>”

“<Are you sure? You keep your blades pretty sharp, don’t you?>”

“<Of course. I’m proud of them.>”

“<So what’s he going to do when his woman complains about having a bladed Pokemon around their kids?>”

“<I wouldn’t hurt the twins.>”

“<But you know how mothers can get.>”

“<She knows I wouldn’t harm them.>”

“<Okay, then you just keep telling yourself that it’s not a bad thing to be stuck as a homebody, only getting out at odd hours to serve the crying babies. Or, you can drop by that place some night this week and talk with us. But this week, mind you. After that, I’m sorry, but you’re on your own.>” George then dematerialized back into the shadows and left.

Part of Ray’s mind told him it was best to throw the Octillery bar token away. But it wasn’t strong enough to make him do it. More of him feared that George was speaking the truth, that his best days were behind him thanks to those two brats. Not that he’d tell anyone that he thought of the twins as brats who were stealing his Trainer’s attention and love.

Even after all this time apart, George knew him much too well. Ray went in to pick up the formula and the diapers. But as he paid for them, he wondered if he had the nerve to run away.

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 10th February 2009 at 3:28 AM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

This was good. I liked Gallades character and the thoughts about a trainer having children and what happens to the Pokemon. Jealousy... just like a child. Which made it rather... heartwarming in a sense.

You're right, I haven't seen an issue like this brought up in a fan-fic. It does have some interesting points though. Well, congrats on another original idea. I enjoyed this one, as well as #chimecho#'s. Who would have guess that three random pokemon would work so well together.

The Gengar/Gallade was really interesting, in the sense it brought up multiple things I haven't really seen other stories bring up. There are such great story ideas in most of Ysavvyrl's one-shots. Things to expand off of is what I mean.

Intro to this one went on a little longer than I expected, but it's still good.

Glancing ahead to March, there's two holidays in close proximety: St. Patrick's Day (17th) and the vernal equinox (first day of spring-20th). Since the last legendary story I did was back in December, I'd like to do a legendary for one of those holidays and something thematic for the other. I'm open to any suggestions (although I have a feeling one legendary has a 75% chance of being picked for either holiday).

AIPOM
Emerald entry: Its tail ends with a dexterous, handlike appendage. However, because it uses the tail so much, Aipom's real hands have become rather clumsy.

PILOSWINE
Emerald entry: A Piloswine is covered by a thick coat of long hair for enduring freezing cold. It uses its tusks to dig up food that has been buried under ice.

The first in line was the Piloswine. He seemed like a tall mound of brown hair wading through the sparkling snow. Acting as a natural plow, he dug his tusks into the stuff and heaved it off the sidewalk. He did not walk directly down the path; instead, he wove around clearing it of snow. Snowpoint nearly always was coated in white, but last night’s storm had dumped two feet of hard icy snow on top of everyone. It crunched delightfully when one walked on it, but made it dangerous to go far.

The second in line was the Aipom. Unlike her peer, she was not happy with the cold. Over her natural violet coat of fur, she wore a bright green coat borrowed from a child, a rainbow hat knitted by their Trainer’s granny, and a custom made glove over her tail. In that tail’s grasp, she held onto a shovel. She used that to get spots the Piloswine missed, as he was best at clearing large amounts of snow.

The last in line was their Trainer, a ten-year-old boy who carried an old broom and pulled a red wagon. The broom was for clearing anything leftover snow and scaring off wild Pokemon from his working ones. The wagon was for carrying his things and for Aipom to ride in on the way back home. While Piloswine didn’t mind walking around all day, she would get tired or start fussing over her wet feet and hands.

Although it wasn’t yet noon, they was starting to feel tired from the day’s work. They’d been up since dawn shoveling people’s walks and driveways. While it was a chore that the residents got used to, their neighbors were grateful to have a Saturday morning free. They had paid pretty well, the boy thought. His goal was to buy a heated bed for Aipom.

He had caught her during the summer when he’d been visiting some relatives in Florama Town, so she really disliked the northern city’s climate. She had been sleeping near Piloswine for a while, but they wound up annoying each other. His parents did not like the two of them arguing in the middle of the night, so he had to tell Aipom not to sleep by Piloswine even though his fur was warm. Then she started digging into the laundry basket and sleeping in the dirty clothes. The boy’s mother had not liked that either.

He was pretty sure that he had enough money for the bed, but felt bad in not buying his older Pokemon anything. However, his parents had limits to how far he could go from the house, even with his two Pokemon. They had run out of driveways and sidewalks to clear. But then at the last house, he got a great offer. They could get ten dollars instead of two if they cleared the path and stairs leading up to Snowpoint Temple.

The Temple was a source of wonder for all the kids of Snowpoint. Few people allowed inside, but the older kids said that if one snuck in, there were tons of powerful Pokemon waiting for a fight. He wasn’t interested in doing that today, though. He didn’t think his Pokemon could handle the ones inside alone. Maybe if they were stronger.

The group reached the stairs, which presented something of a problem. The Temple sat on a raised stone surface, so there was nowhere to throw the snow to except back down where they had already cleared. Piloswine stopped and turned to him. Aipom dropped her tail down, putting the shovel on the sidewalk.

“Go ahead and toss the snow down here,” the boy told the older Pokemon as he parked the wagon. “And you swap tools with me.”

Piloswine huffed agreeably, causing the lower parts of his fur to billow out. Then he dug a patch out of the lower step and began shoving the snow down.

“Oook,” Aipom squeaked, then brought the shovel back up for him to take hold of. When she took the old broom, she playfully spun it around before figuring out how to wield it properly.

The boy then went about shoveling up the snow Piloswine threw down, then tossing that off the sidewalk. Aipom followed up by sweeping off the steps and getting into the corners. It took a long while; the houses he’d done so far had a few steps leading up to the door, at most three. The Temple had twelve long steps leading up to its entrance. Adding to that time, Aipom and Piloswine kept flicking snow at each other. But they seem to be having fun, so their Trainer only laughed.

As they finished up, the gatekeeper of the Temple came down the path. “Thank you very much for doing this,” she said. “I’ve been busy making arrangement with a group of scientists who are visiting later.” She handed over a ten dollar bill.

“You’re welcome; glad we could help.” He took the bill and put it into a box where he kept all the other payments. This would be enough for the heated bed and some treat for Piloswine. And maybe even some trading cards for himself.

“You three are good workers. I never liked having Fire Pokemon clear the walkway. If they don’t make sure the path is completely dry, it freezes up something awful.”

“Really? So, what’s it like in there? Can I go see?”

“No, you can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

He was going to try pestering her into letting him in anyways. Realizing this, his Pokemon looked around for something to do to pass the time. Aipom looked up at the edge of the roof. A dazzling row of icicles sparkled in the sunlight. One of them had something stuck in it. Something dark, shiny, and small.

Cooing in interest, she hopped over to underneath it. There were columns holding the roof up, but none close enough to the icicle she wanted. There were trees growing thickly nearby, but they also weren’t close enough. So how should she get to it?

She tried putting her tail hand on the ground and stretching up tall. But when she stretched her small arms out, there was no way she’d reach it. She tried hopping up, but couldn’t manage the height. She even tried standing on her forearms and stretching her tail up. No, that wasn’t enough.

Piloswine scuttled up to her. “Fuuff fuu?” he huffed. He rarely made significant noises, but she could tell by how his eyebrows pushed his fur aside that he was curious.

Hopping back up on her tail, she pointed up at the mystery treasure in the icicle. “Ooo, ook.”

He shook his head, clearing some fur away from his eyes, then looked up. Those brown eyes squinted, though. He didn’t have the best eyesight. Huffing again, he looked at her.

Aipom waved him over and hopped back. Trying not to be too excited in her gestures, she pointed at the spot directly underneath the icicle, then back up at it. Piloswine might just be tall enough to help her get the treasure.

“Mmmm?” He glanced back up, then seemed to get the idea. He shuffled over to the spot she pointed to. “Fuff.”

“Aaip.” She dropped down to her hands and feet, then reached her tail up to grasp onto Piloswine’s back. Flipping herself up from there, she checked her reach to the icicle.

It was closer. Not quite there, but other icicles were longer and she could reach those. She grasped the nearest one. It was slick and she instantly lost grip. After trying a second time, she tensed up her tail and hopped up higher. “Ooof,” the Piloswine responded, then shuffled aside to watch what she was doing.

Aipom had to scramble to get a good hold on the icicles. Once she found a rough patch, she managed to steady herself. She was now in a better position to see the treasure. It was some sort of claw, either mid- or dark-blue depending on how she tilted her head. Its owner had probably lost it climbing up these icicles too.

But it was hers now. She grasped the icicle with her tail hand and yanked it off the roof. It snapped off cleanly. The claw stayed in place. But above her, the snow pack on the roof trembled. “Uh-ooo,” she murmured.

Nothing happened.

Relieved, she reached over to the next icicle in order to get a good look down before jumping off. It snapped quickly, disturbing the snow pack again. This time, it slid right off the roof, taking several icicles and Aipom down with it. The mass of snow crashed down right next to Piloswine, making him grunt in surprise.

The two humans then paid attention to the Pokemon again. “Aipom?” the boy called when he didn’t see her right off. He hurried over. “What happened to Aipom?”

Piloswine huffed, then went to the new pile of snow and dug. Before long, he had enough snow moved so that Aipom could get herself free. “Brrrr,” she said, shivering.

“Fuuuff fu,” he responded, bumping into her.

“I’d better get you back home. Come on, you can ride in the wagon.”

She scrambled fully out of the snow pile and brought her tail up to her face. The icicle was still there, along with the claw. “Oook!” she called excitedly, presenting the frozen treasure to her Trainer.

He took the icicle. “Huh? Is this a Weavile claw? Cool!”

“Now there’s something we don’t see in town often,” the gatekeeper said. “I hear that you might get lucky if you let a Sneasel hold onto that.”

“I don’t have one of them. Might as well keep it, in case I manage to catch one. I’ll see you later. I’m really cold right now, but I’m sure she needs to get warm more than me.”

She nodded. “Right. Thanks again for your hard work.”

Aipom jumped into the wagon and waved at the gatekeeper. Piloswine huffed, then followed alongside the boy as they went home.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

Still looking for ideas on St. Patrick's Day and first day of spring with one being a legendary.

This story partly comes from how, in Ruby at least, you nearly always find a Heart Scale hiding in the landscape around couples. Happy Valentine's Day!

In Process: Mudkip
On Deck: Dunsparce/Qwilfish, Beedrill

LUVDISC
Emerald entry: Luvdisc make the branches of Corsola their nests. There is a custom from long ago of giving a Luvdisc as a gift to express one's feelings of love.

The coral reefs of Hoenn made for one of the most diverse and colorful ecosystems in the world. There were many kinds of fish and fish Pokemon. There were both jellyfish and Tentacools. There were micro-bugs and the occasional Surskit. Even the reefs themselves, much of them were ordinary plants, but some of them were Corsolas. Hiding within these reefs were Luvdiscs, a Pokemon special to local traditions.

The small heart-shaped fish usually kept hidden, save for springtime mating rituals and the test of adulthood. The latter was a rite peculiar to the species. Most other Pokemon did not have such tests, but ancient traditions stated that a Luvdisc was not considered fully mature unless it could produce a whole Heart Scale and offer it to a loving human couple. Why this was so was buried in legend to the point of the Luvdiscs continuing it simply because it was always done that way.

And that was her mission when she had left the reefs a week ago.

She had been so excited when she’d finally shed a whole Scale that she’d crashed into a Clamperl trying to find her mother. It had not been pleased and she had been afraid for a bit that it would ruin her first Heart Scale. But she’d managed to get away and show off the Scale to her family and friends.

It was a lovely thing. Most of their scales were pink, but a few had an iridescent sheen to them, like a rainbow painted on a pink canvas. The iridescent ones were the only ones that could become a true Heart Scale. However, when they were shed, most of the scales had frayed edges or cracks. To shed a whole one, with clean edges and no dullness, that was something to be proud of. They were happy for her, but now she had to give it away.

But who knew that it would be so hard? She could see plenty of humans on the beach, but none she felt right in giving her scale away to. Maybe she was just being possessive. It was her first Scale, after all. And yet...

It was nearing the end of winter, as the days were becoming even with the nights and the air was warming little by little. Still, there were people walking along the shore. There were beachcombers carrying their woven baskets. There were joggers running up and down in daily routines. There were a few children, but that was in the afternoon and their parents weren’t around. There were surfers and swimmers, artists and anglers... but not many couples.

The young Luvdisc swam close to one couple she did see. It was a young man and young woman, he wearing waterproof pants that all the beachside anglers wore and she wearing a nice yellow dress that made her wary of getting too close to the water. For a minute, he had put down his fishing gear to help her balance on some rocks. The cold waves lapped against those rocks and teased at her black shoes.

Once she was as far out as she would go, she knelt down and tossed a berry into the water. “Luvdisc, Luvdisc, heart of the sea, will you prove my true love to me?”

The young Pokemon had heard that little rhyme several times over this week. The berry certainly smelled tempting, but she had been warned not to accept bribes from undeserving couples. And this pair didn’t seem right. There was a feeling of tension between the two that didn’t bode well for long-lasting love. He had put away his fishing for the moment, yes, but was annoyed because he had been doing well before the interruption. She had dressed up nicely for this, yes, but her attention wasn’t completely on him.

They were doomed to fall apart unless they changed themselves. They might be looking for a Heart Scale, but once their love failed, it would no longer mean anything special to them. With that in mind, the Luvdisc ignored them and swam off to find another couple.

The next pair she found was a pair of teenagers, both with red hair. They were playing around, kicking a soccer ball between each other and joking around. “No seriously, it’s an awesome Pokemon and would work great on your team,” the boy said, knocking the ball high into the air.

“But it stinks something horrible,” she replied, catching the ball with her knee, then kicking it back. “I don’t want one like that.”

“Aw come on. You’re not going to stand a chance in the League if you only use cute and pretty Pokemon.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “What makes you think that, squirt?” Then she laughed.

He laughed back and shook his head.

They certainly loved each other, even if they weren’t that open about it. But they didn’t feel right either. Somewhere in her heart, the Luvdisc felt that this pair were actually cousins, and thus weren’t appropriate humans to offer her Scale to. So she left them and moved on.

How did she know how to judge the quality of love humans had for each other? She knew she could do it, but she didn’t know how. Legend had it that long ago, there was a holy man and holy woman who were deeply in love with each other, so much so that they had died at the same moment because they could not bear to live without the other. The older Luvdiscs had told her that a pair of trees had grown from their graves that were so intertwined that one could not tell which leaf came from which tree.

During their lifetime, the man and woman had seen many of their peers foolishly pursue false loves and unhappy marriages. They tried to show others the wonder and joy of true love, but human society wouldn’t pay attention. They then began leaving offerings on the sea, praying that the others would learn to be loyal, loving, and patient. The Luvdiscs living at the shore began eating the offerings, and then some way or another, they gained the ability to discern true love from false. To use that ability, they began rewarding true couples with a lovely Heart Scale.

It seemed such an odd story, even to her limited understanding. Why would the spirits decide to answer the couple’s prayers by giving the knowledge of true love to a lowly Pokemon like herself? There were far more beautiful and graceful fish in the sea, so why the Luvdisc? But even if she couldn’t answer those questions, she knew she had to follow tradition. It was her gift, and it was only right that she share it properly. Which meant waiting patiently to find the right couple for her Heart Scale.

She paused a moment to check the sky. The sun was starting to pass from its highest position. Wondering if she would meet that one human again, the young Luvdisc hurried on to the southern arm of the sheltered bay. The land was a bit higher here, with many grasses and reeds growing freely. There was a hardy oak tree by itself. Next to that tree, she was indeed there again.

This human was about the same age as the fisherman and his girlfriend, old enough to be on her own. She had tinted prescription glasses and long black hair, which was how the Luvdisc knew this was the same human. Every day this week, she had come out here to eat her lunch. And she shared, which was the main reason a handful of other fish were gathering.

Like before, she pulled out a chunk of bread and began tearing it into pieces. “I thank the sea for your protection, your life-giving abundance, and your unbiased ear. I thank you for listening to me.” She then tossed a handful of pieces into the water.

Normally, the Luvdisc ate algae and small pests that bothered the corals and Corsolas which made up her home. But such things were scarce in these shallow waters. She darted in and snatched a piece of bread before another fish could take it instead.

The woman noticed. She lay down and reached her hand into the water. Most of the fish scattered at this, but the Luvdisc remained. “Are you the same one I’ve been seeing all week? It’s early for you to be up here and you’re all by yourself.”

She swam up and sniffed at the woman’s hand, getting patted for the action. This young woman held a great love, she could tell, but was always alone and thus she couldn’t give away her Scale. It was reckless to judge true love just on one half of it.

“Of course, I’m all by myself too,” the woman said. “It wouldn’t be like that if I’d said something to him before he left. And now you go into the Trainer’s Fan Club and hear all sorts of talk about him. He could probably date anyone he wants now, so why would he think of returning to me? I knew he’d be good, but I didn’t expect him to get this popular with the Frontier.”

She felt sad for this human, since there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She could only reward truly loving couples. Frustrating, that the only love she could find worthy of her Scale couldn’t properly be judged because the man wasn’t around.

Someone else walked up to them, startling the Luvdisc into darting off towards the bottom. When she looked back, she saw the woman stand up and greet him warmly. Curious about this, she swam back up to listen better.

“I heard you like to eat lunch around here lately,” he said, obviously familiar with her. “I was in town and decided to drop by and see you. So what are you doing?”

“Oh, just feeding the fish. It’s relaxing, for the middle of the workday.”

This was the guy she’d been talking about all week. He had dark blue hair and light blue eyes, like the ocean against the sky (that’s how she put it yesterday). The Luvdisc wasn’t much of a judge on human beauty, but guessed that he might be attractive to others. And he held a great love for her as well, but was holding back on the issue. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship by trying to be something they weren’t.

If her Heart Scale could encourage them to take that risk, she’d gladly give it to them. She popped through the ocean surface and splashed around to make noise. But they were too intent on talking with each other to pay attention to her.

Well she’d spent all week waiting for them to appear together. She wasn’t about to let them slip away from her. The Luvdisc swam down to the bottom, then rushed upwards and jumped clear out of the water. With a clumsy flop, she landed on the ground.

“Oh dear,” the woman said, kneeling down to pick her up. “What was that for?”

He smiled in amusement. “Your pink friend is a bit enthusiastic, don’t you think?”

“She’s been here by herself all week. I’m not sure why.”

The air hit her gills and irritated them greatly. She found it difficult to move and to breathe, but she’d got their attention. Squirming until she could manage, she took her Heart Scale from underneath her fin and pressed it against the woman’s hand. She then found herself being gently placed back in the water. It was such a relief when she could shake the air out of her gills and fill them with water once again.

“Oh, she gave me a scale,” the woman said, surprised.

“Really? That’s odd. Poeple say the Luvdiscs only give them to certain people,” he stopped abruptly, not sure what to do.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

He was awkward for a moment longer, then opened his travel bag. “You know, I’ve got an extra Net Ball hanging around. Do you want to see if you can catch her? I know you haven’t had your own Pokemon in a while.”

The Luvdisc watched as he handed the blue Pokeball to her. What should she do? Should she go with them and see if the legends were right? Or did she go back to her school and be accepted as a fully mature member?

There was only seconds to decide.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

I loved both of those stories, particularly that last one. The folk story was quite awesome, it made it deeper and more real. Now I wonder what would happen if a malicious Luvdisc intentionally gave a scale to an undeserving couple.

Also, I'll suggest Celebi for either of those days. Because someone had to. ^_^;

Darn beaten!
I was going to suggest Glalie/Bellossom for the Vernal Equinox to symbolize the change from winter to Spring and Rayquaza or Celebi for St. Patty's Day since they're green, but I think you should save Celebi for Serebii's tenth anniversary.

I read most of the stories I missed from the Turtwig/Staraptor one, but I'm not done catching up yet.
Can I request a one-shot for the Porygon line?

Dragonite / Garchomp - Such a moral in this one! Jaithan's arrogance is spot-on, a few people would do well to read this one. Also, ha, holy nail. I can't help but wonder what it would look like.. I especially loved the descriptions at the beginning.

Bat family - Dude, I smiled like a drunkard through this, man. Their happiness is intoxicating. Some of the greatest anecdotes come out of this thread, I swear.

Swellow / Ponyta / Barboach - A lovely insight into the Pokemon food chain, and certainly more. I loved how this seemingly simple encounter changed three Pokemon for the better. A meaningful story, great work, #Chimecho#.

Gengar / Gallade - ASLDFKJD Oh gosh, this was exactly what I was hoping for when I requested these two. The ever srs Gallade and the renegade Gengar. I loooved this story. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be ecstatic if you continued this, but then it's your story!

Just a typo:

like how you intimidated all the Ghastlies into leaving us alone

Gastlys*, or Gastlies*, there's no real wrong plural for Pokemon.

Aipom / Piloswine - Reminds me of the window-washing entry! The variety of characters and situations in these are amazing. Yet another odd couple, somehow living symbiotically. These glimpses into lives are always inspiring. <3

Luvdisc - Loved this story. The Luvdisc backstory was interesting in itself, and I loved her assessments of each couple. It was very sweet, and the cliffhanger sure surprised me. D: Well, I can always pretend I know what happened. <3

I suppose I'll suggest Shaymin for St .Patrick's Day, since it was the first I thought of. Either way, I'm looking forward to reading. Thanks for doing my request!

I like the idea of Glalie/Bellosom. So for St. Patrick's Day, it's Rayquaza, Celebii, or Shaymin. But I agree, Celebii on Serebii's anniversery would be better; I'll have to find out when that is exactly. So the question now is, Rayquaza or Shaymin? (Personally, I think the name Shaymin even sounds Irish...)

I did both Dragonite and Salamence. Which one of the Hitmons, then? I'm not too sure about doing another 4 entry story; if I do, I'll have to stick in on Reserve for whenever I get time to arrange it.

As for this story, I always thought Mudkip was a victim of its own internet fad. It's such a nice Pokemon, but that 'Mudkipz' line makes it so silly. I was going to do something dignified with it... and then I suddenly got in the mood to do something with Caddyshack instead. Man, it's been too long since I've seen that movie.

MUDKIP
Ruby entry: The fin on Mudkip's head acts as highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this Pokemon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes.

DIGLETT
Fire Red entry: It burrows through the ground at a shallow depth. It leaves raised earth in its wake, making it easy to spot.

The surface of the pond was brilliant blue, but the water underneath was dim. Mud particles saturated the bottom, making it difficult to see. But Azure had no trouble with that. She could click in a low tone, then use the returning sound waves hitting her headfin to figure out what was on the muddy bottom. There didn’t seem to be any more, so she started back for the surface.

Plop.

She raised her fin back up to get a better feel of the disturbance. A small sphere had dropped into the pond. As it was an inanimate object, she swam right up to it and snatched it with her mouth. The small dimples on the surface confirmed what it was: another golf ball. She brought it up to the surface, where her Trainer waited.

He was an older human, with a bald patch he hid under a tan baseball cap advertising the Pristine Meadow Golf Course. He always wore tan overalls; at least, she had only ever seen him in tan overalls for the two weeks she’d been working with him. He was the groundskeeper of the golf course and she was learning to be his assistant Pokemon.

Azure dropped the ball into the basket, which held twenty others that she’d retrieved from the pond. “<That should be the last one.>”

The groundskeeper patted her head. “Good work, girl. Any more?”

She shook her head.

“Okay then. Hop into the cart and we’ll head over to the third hole. Now that I know you’re a hard worker, we have to talk about the most important part of your job as Pokemon Assistant.”

Eager to hear that, she jumped into the passenger seat of the golf cart they used to get around. It was like every other cart on the course, yellow-tan and off-white, except for the green flag on back. That marked them as staff and the golfers respected them for it.

She hadn’t been over to the third hole yet. There were no ponds for the golf balls to fall into, just several groupings of trees for them to get lost in. The grass was green and immaculate, like everywhere else in Pristine Meadow. The groundskeeper did an excellent job and Azure was proud to be picked as his assistant.

He stopped the cart and leaned on the steering wheel. “Okay, you see the problem?”

Azure put her forepaws on the dash and looked ahead of them. But the course looked pretty much the same here as anywhere. Lots of tough grass and a flagpole marking the third hole. “<Ummm, not really.>”

“It’s that darn Diglett again,” he answered, hitting his fist on the dash. “I call him Little Demon. He can dig pretty deep into this soil, that’s for certain, but he always digs right under the surface, leaving unsightly lumps and trenches that ruin all my hard work. And every year, at least a dozen people sprain their ankle stumbling into one of his tunnels. I’ve gone with all the traditional ways of getting rid of a Diglett, but Demon has it out for me.”

Knowing what to look for, Azure finally spotted the trouble. There were several long winding lumps in the otherwise smooth grass. “<That jerk. You do so much for the course and he can wreck it in no time.>”

The groundskeeper scratched her head. “But that’s why I picked you, Azure. You can hit him where he’s weakest. And when you evolve, you’ll grow into the same type as he is, so he won’t stand a chance. You’re my best hope of getting rid of Demon once and for all. You can do that, right?”

“<Sure thing! I’ll root him out.>” She hopped off the cart and sniffed the ground.

“Careful. He’s a tricky one.” The groundskeeper picked up one of his tools and went to work himself.

Keeping her fin extended fully, she checked out the scene. Some of the tunnels seemed fresh, with newly revealed dirt. And there was a scent of another Pokemon around. So Little Demon was here. The trick would be making him appear.

Through her paws, she felt a slight rumble through the ground. There he was. She couldn’t sense him with her fin while he moved underground, but wherever he popped up, she would know.

He came out right behind the groundskeeper. All that showed was his smooth head and his grubby paws, but that was enough. Azure rushed up to tackle him from behind. His head and grip were harder than she expected, as she was pushed back instead of him being thrown out of the hole.

Demon spun around in his hole with surprising fluidity. “<Hey, what was that for?!>”

He gripped the grounded and leaned forward. “<Get rid of me? But this is my turf! My family has lived here for centuries before the humans took over. So it’s my land and you need to be gotten rid of.>”

“<You’ve lived here that long?>”

He crouched partly back into his hole. “<Well yeah. Great-great-great-great-grandad Dugtrio was born here, and he kept the land as fresh and pretty as anyone would like. But now it’s all strict manicures and foreign plants. He’s ruined everything.>”

“<But he’s my Trainer, and he works hard to keep things nice.>”

“<Well it ain’t so nice when...>” he trailed off into a sad mumbling.

Azure hopped closer to the Diglett. “<When what?>”

He looked down at the ground and mumbled some more.

The Mudkip stepped closer. “<I can’t hear you well.>”

He popped back out and slashed her across the nose with her claws. Laughing maniacally, Demon dropped into the ground to come out of another hole. “<Hah! You’d believe any sob story, huh? Softie. I came here to overtake this field and it shall all be mine!>”

Snarling, she turned to Demon. “<Not a chance, jerk!>” She shot him with her Water Gun attack.

At the same time, he threw a rock at her. Both attacks struck their target, but the Water attack hit harder. Demon dove back underground and scurried to another hole. Azure stood her ground until she knew where he was appearing, then shot another Water Gun at him. This time, he didn’t stick around, but went back under and to another hole on her other side. He was trying to make her dizzy, but thanks to her fin, she was able to keep focused.

After several minutes of hide-and-seek, Demon moved to right underneath the Mudkip and slammed into his tunnel walls with such force that it felt like a minor earthquake. Azure stumbled and fell into one of the holes. After a second to get her bearings, she saw Demon looking back at her. “<Hah, I’ve got you now!>”

He grinned. “<Well, well, well. Welcome to my side.>”

She shot Water Gun at him; he responded by flinging a slimy ball of grime at him. Some of the gunk slipped into her mouth and made her gag. Upon realizing that she had gotten poisoned, she scrambled to get back out of the hole. She managed, but fell unconscious shortly after.

The groundskeeper saw her fall. Dropping his gear, he ran to pick her up. “Curse you, Demon!” he shouted. “You may have won today, but your days are numbered!” Then he left to get her healed.

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that he heard laughter from behind him.

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 18th February 2009 at 3:57 AM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

I never took the appropiate time to review this. Oh Arceus how much time have I spent...

Those small stories have all of them been very enjoyable. Some of them have been delightful, and some of them what I would regard as masterpieces of Pokémon writing. Among the ones that I liked the most, were: Umbreon: a take on the species I did not expect to see, yet true and straight to the concept one usually gets of them.♥ the Nidorans one... with Giovanni as a guest! (interesting take on the character, alas, and I still can't get the "F.A.T.S.O." joke out of my system),
the Eevee one with the three "original" evolutions, was a very beautiful and mystical storyContest!Pidgeot (that specific Pokémon was loaded with win), Shedinja (ughhhh...... creepily enjoyable ), Anti-Silver Chikorita, I mean, come on, I knew grass starters are pure win, but that one was AWESOME

All these reasons to suscribe to this thread. There was a Luvdisc one and a Ponyta one too that I enjoyed, to a lesser degree. The one with the Kanto Legendaries reads very majestic and has more the tone of an actual story than that of a tale. Any chance we might see a stand-alone sequel or something related?

Oh and the Dragons one (Garchomp and Dragonite). That one alone raised my mood by two stages, and I couldn't switch out from the thread afterwards.

I understand that you might be busy, and that there are tons and tons of requests (well, maybe tens of tons, but still...). However, I would like to add my own, selfish request .

I don't remember it having been done (I may have skipped a page or two), but I would like to request Scyther. If that's not possible, I would like to request anything in the "fossil" lines: Omanyte, Cradily, Aerodactyl, or any other. I have the feeling your tale-take on them could be very interesting and surprising to read.

I was thinking about suggesting something in the Slaking line for Labor's Day (that's May 1, right?), too, but IDK if it would actually "fit". You, Miss Full of Win, be the judge.

I had an interesting idea involving a Magnemite and a Ghastly, but I don't have the time to write it at the moment (I'm on an exchange). I might be able to do it a bit later, so can you hold off doing a story about either of them for a little while?